As Maggie Smith, aged 88, fronts fashion brand Loewe’s new campaign, Rest Less analysis shows that there are 35,488 people aged 80+ still working, of which 13,255 are women.
British actress Maggie Smith, who will turn 89 in December, made headlines this week as the face of the new campaign for Loewe. In light of this, Rest Less analysed a bespoke dataset from the Office of National Statistics to find that in 2022, there were a total of 13,255 women aged 80 and older who were still working, of which 55% were self-employed.
Table 1: Number of people aged 80+ who are still working (2022)
| Job status | Number of people aged 80+ |
| Women aged 80+ | |
| Self-employed | 7,343 |
| Employed | 5,882 |
| Total | 13,255 |
| Men aged 80+ | |
| Self-employed | 12,706 |
| Employed | 9,577 |
| Total | 22,263 |
| Total aged 80+ | |
| Self-employed | 20,049 |
| Employed | 15,439 |
| Total | 35,488 |
Rest Less’s analysis also found that:
- In 2022, there were a total of 35,488 people aged 80+ still in work
- While this represents a significant fall from the 2018 high of 43,995, it still represents the start of a post-pandemic recovery: in 2021, the number of over 80s in work fell to 33,997 – the lowest since 2016 (32,875). 2022 marked the first post-covid increase since the 2018 high (Chart 1)
- Self-employment is the preferred type of employment for this age group with 57% of workers aged 80+ opting for self-employment in 2022 (compared with 45% of those in their 70s and 23% of those in their 60s)
Chart 1: People aged 80+ in work, 2012-2022
Stuart Lewis, Chief Executive of Rest Less, commented: “How wonderful it is to see Maggie Smith leading the Loewe campaign and what an important milestone for age inclusion in the fashion industry. It has delighted the nation to see one of its favourite and most treasured actresses continue to work and represent fashion and beauty for all ages in what is a notoriously ageist sector. Bravo to Maggie Smith and Loewe for busting stereotypes and redefining expectations around beauty, fashion and working in later life.’
‘It also makes smart business sense for Loewe and the fashion industry to start engaging with an older consumer, with the UK’s average age continuing to increase due to fewer babies being born and historically increasing life expectancy. In 2021, the UK’s average median age was 40.7 – almost 3 years higher than it was at the turn of the century – and only set to increase further as the population continues to age.’
‘Our analysis of government data shows that Maggie Smith is far from alone in choosing to work into her 80s. More than 35,000 people in their 80s and older are still working, with many opting for the flexibility of self-employment. Our experience is that people in their 70s and 80s who are still working are usually doing so through choice rather than necessity. They are fit, driven and highly capable and have a strong sense of purpose and good reason to continue to work. We fully expect to see the number of over-80s in work continue to grow and we applaud the brands and employers taking the bold steps of defying convention and normalising the achievements of older workers – creating a new narrative around work and contribution in our later years.”
-Ends-
Notes to Editors
Rest Less’s analysis is based on ONS data from the Annual Population Survey from Jan-Dec 2011-2022. The dataset was a bespoke piece provided to Rest Less on 28 April 2023
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About Rest Less
Rest Less (restless.co.uk) launched in early 2019 and is a digital community for people in their 50s, 60s and beyond. Rest Less is on a mission to help its members get more out of life and offers content guidance and resources on topics spanning Jobs and Careers, Volunteering, Learning, Money, Health and Lifestyle and Dating.